


Decline

by Poposusz



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Hurt Edward Elric, Hurt/Comfort, Parental Roy Mustang, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:41:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22836445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poposusz/pseuds/Poposusz
Summary: Today Ed didn’t know if he would make it. He had started on his way to the office and within the block was winded and miserable. Grumbling to himself he kept it up one step at a time. Arriving late to work for the first time in a year, turned his already glum mood completely sour.
Relationships: Edward Elric & Roy Mustang
Comments: 4
Kudos: 270





	Decline

Ed was freezing. He awoke to feeling cold as ice. Skin sticking to his sheets. A sheen of sweat covered him. He rubbed his eyes with his flesh hand.   
“Ughgh.”   
His throat was drier than a desert. He went to push up off the bed to find his automail arm was slow to respond. The gears grudgingly began to function. He went to shake out the hand to find it completely locked up. Must be the cold. 

“Shit,” he grumbled. He didn’t want to be late to work and began to get dressed. He was definitely due for some maintenance from Winry. The automail had been acting up recently. Every once and awhile it would almost burn and then jerk. Ed brushes it off as failing mechanics. 

Once Al had regained his body, he spent about a year around home with Ed. But Al wanted to explore, and Xing was the perfect place to start. The young man shipped out and had been there for about 6 months. Ed couldn’t be happier for him. They still wrote and Ed expected a wedding invitation any day now.  
Edward had decided to stay in the military. Still a State Alchemist and under General Mustang, Ed focused on researching. He also had close ties with Investigation and was routinely called in to consult on alchemical crimes. Ed found he enjoyed the routine. After years of never stopping it felt good to be still.  
He had been trudging through Central the last few days, and the rain was never ending. Starting to begin winter, the rain was cold and bitter. He made it a point to walk to work everyday as well. A little alchemy and he would be dry in a second everyday. 

Today Ed didn’t know if he would make it. He had started on his way to the office and within the block was winded and miserable. Grumbling to himself he kept it up one step at a time. Arriving late to work for the first time in a year, turned his already glum mood completely sour. It didn’t help that the last block he felt like he was just completely dragging his automail leg behind him. Maybe he needed to call Winry soon, ask for some maintenance. She was so busy with customers in Rush Valley he always felt bad calling her to ask her to look after the automail. The thought of Winry made a small smile creep on his face. 

Ed was about to clap his hands to dry off when Fuery came running around the corner.

“Major Elric! General Mustang is looking for you,” Fuery called out. 

Ed sighed audibly. Of course, the one day he just wanted to sit and do some paperwork, the bastard was looking for him. 

“Major, are you feeling unwell?” Fuery had been inspecting Ed. The man was drenched, his face flushed from the cold. When he’d seen Ed walking he noticed that he was also limping. He looked like he’d been hit by a car. 

“Nah, I’m fine. Just cold,” Ed shrugged him off. He had too much to get done to worry about being sick. He was hoping to just sign some papers with the hand… that still worked. Ed started trekking down the hall to find Mustang. 

As he came around the corner to see Hawkeye sitting diligently at her desk he stopped for a second. Deciding he should at least dry off now he lifted up his automail arm. The hand had stopped functioning all together, so he made an awkward movement to connect his hands and did the transmutation. Hawkeye lifted her eyebrow.   
“I’m fine, I’m fine, just a little cold.” He told her before she could accuse him of something. She opened her mouth to speak but Ed beat her to it once again.  
“I’m going in to see the General.” He limped his way to the door ever aware that Hawkeye was still keeping tabs on him. He opened the door and slid behind it. Shutting the door he leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. Maybe this wasn’t just the cold. His stomach had been lurching violently. He was still heaving some from the walk down the hall. A shiver violently came over him and he remembered just how cold he was. The hand he could feel felt like ice. Not to mention under all the layers of the military uniform he still felt frozen. 

“Fullmetal. Nice of you to show up.” Mustang said with a grin. He’d been ready to poke fun at the young alchemist for his tardiness. 

Ed sighed again and started towards the desk, but changed course about halfway there upon seeing the couch. He tried to get his leg to work normally and it took far longer to traverse the room than it should have.   
Mustang was concerned. Ed hadn’t bit back a retort. Not to mention that he was literally limping to his couch like a kicked puppy. 

“I’m just going to sit here while you tell me what you needed to see me about.” Ed stated it matter of factly, like there was no room for any other comments. Mustang looked him over again. He was sitting on the couch, his head leaned back and eyes closed. Mustang had noticed how Ed subtly picked up his automail hand and laid it in his lap. Curious. He was breathing through his nose rather harshly. Like he wanted to gulp air down but didn’t want to make it obvious. Ed was not alright, no matter what he told himself. Mustang knew the man to be the most stubborn person he’d ever met. He’d have to do this carefully. 

“Well, since you seem so much more comfortable, I need you to go to the 3rd laboratory today. Discreetly. I heard they came across some… questionable transmutation circles. I need you to go in, find them and determine whether or not they are dangerous. Since it needs to be discreet, you cannot take a military car there. First you’ll need to change into civilian clothes and make up a reason for your being there.” There was no mission. Mustang was trying to get Ed to fess up on not being able to walk back to his house, and then across the city to the 3rd laboratory. While Mustang had been describing the mission for the day, Ed’s face kept scowling deeper and deeper. Mustang knew he was unfit to do this pretend mission. He just needed Ed to realize the same thing. 

Contrary to what each of them liked other people to think, they both cared for one another. Mustang had pulled Ed out of so many disastrous situations it wasn’t even funny. In return Ed trusted Mustang with his life.   
The same could be said for Roy. The man had seen Ed at his most tenacious. Knew that he cared for his friends like family and would lay his life down in a second to save them. Edward was brilliant and could smell a trap a million miles away. 

They both knew that their friendship was unparalleled. Roy saw Edward as his own son. Seeing him at his most vulnerable and helping to pick him back up. Seeing Ed as he wanted to be seen. Not just a child at the time, but a great alchemist hell bent on returning his younger brother to his body. Watching as Ed achieved this goal and grew into an honorable young man. 

Ed’s face was completely contorted by the end of the “debriefing” of the “mission”. 

“God dammit Mustang. You want to run to East City while I’m at it?” This was ridiculous in Ed’s opinion. Any lackey could do this. Why him? Why today of all days? It was unfair. It was unfair that he felt like dying, and it pissed him off.

“Seems like a simple enough objective.” Mustang replied. A sly smile sliding into place. 

“Motherfucker,” Ed grumbled while struggling to his feet. If he started now, maybe by the end of the day he would be able to climb in bed and curl up and die. He went to take the first step when the automail gave out completely. He landed on one knee with an “oompf.” His flesh hand out in front of him supporting him. The automail arm had also refused to move again. Mustang got up from his desk.

“You alright?” he asked quietly. Mustang held out his hand directly in front of Ed's right arm to test him. To see if he could actually use it at all. Ed glared at the offered hand and swung his left hand over to take it. Struggling to right himself he ended up leaning on Mustang. His leg wouldn’t give any support at this point. 

“Edward, I think you need to go home.” Mustang smiled slightly, he didn’t want to set him off. But even Ed should see the futility in this endeavour. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Ed had given up the fight quicker than normal.

“Why isn’t your automail working Ed?” Mustang was curious. He’d seen Edward sick a few times but he was still able to be mobile. 

“Hell if I know. I thought it was just the cold.” Ed was starting to develop a skull cracking headache. The lights in the office were way too bright and the world was swaying back and forth. His stomach still hadn’t given up on wanting to retch either. 

This worried Mustang. He knew a little about automail and its complications. Edward had disclosed some specifics on how it worked and how it affected him. He racked his brain trying to remember anything about illness. 

“Let’s get you home.” Mustang had wrapped his arm around the slight man, but with his leg as dead weight he felt more like he was dragging him out of the office.

“Hawkeye, can you grab a wheelchair for me?” She looked up at the general and saw how Ed was somehow 10x worse than before.  
“Of course, sir.”   
“I don’t want a damn wheelchair. I can walk out of here.” Ed was obstinate.   
“Fine let’s see it.” Mustang withdrew a bit and Ed was suddenly falling until Mustang caught him again.  
“You were saying Fullmetal?” Ed just glared up at Roy, grumbling under his breath. Hawkeye couldn’t help but smile a bit at the two. She proceeded to the end of the hall and grabbed the wheelchair in the closet. 

“I really don’t want to be dragging your sorry ass out of here.” Mustang smirked. Ed just huffed in response.   
“Here you are sir.” Mustang promptly deposited Ed into the chair. 

“See much better. Now we can stroll on out of here.” Mustang was lifting Ed’s leg into the cradle so it didn’t drag along. Ed must have stopped caring at his point. He had sighed in relief once he could sit down again.   
“Let’s get you home, and I’ll call Miss Rockbell to see when she can make it out here.”  
Ed simply nodded in response.   
“Hawkeye, you have the fort.” Hawkeye saluted while the two men rolled out of the office. 

When they arrived at Ed’s apartment Roy realized that he lived on the top floor. With no elevator.   
“Did you pick the top floor just to feel tall?” Mustang joked. Trying to lighten up the young man’s spirits. He had made them stop the car a few times for fear of vomiting, on the last stop he had.   
“I don’t like people stomping above me,” was Ed’s weak response. If he was miserable before now Ed looked down right in anguish. There was no way he would make it up the steps to his apartment. Mustang looked down at him sitting in the car.   
With resolve he scooped out the young man. While he had grown he was still small. The automail weighed a ton.   
“Damn you’re heavy,” Mustang huffed. Ed groaned.   
The trip up the four flights was uneventful. Mustang was appalled to learn that Ed had forgotten to lock his apartment on his way to work this morning.   
Once inside Mustang laid Ed on the couch, covering him with a blanket. Then he went foraging around till he found a thermometer.   
“Take this.” Once it was finished Mustang didn’t believe the reading. 101.7. As far as Mustang knew Ed’s temperature was always lower than a normal person due to the automail.  
“Have some water, I’m calling Miss Rockbell.” He handed Ed the water who sipped some. 

“Miss Rockbell. This is General Mustang.”   
“Oo, I thought it was Ed, are you at his apartment?” Winry replied.  
“Yes, I brought Edward back to his house this morning. He is sick, but what concerns me the most is that his leg and arm have lost function. Do you have any idea if this is connected?” It was silent for a moment.  
“How long has the automail not been responding?” Concern laced her voice.   
“Only just today as far as I know.”  
“Okay Colone...General. Can you look around the ports on both pieces? See if it’s inflamed at all.” Mustang sat the phone down before going back to Edward.  
“Ed I have to see your automail ports.” Ed just grunted. Mustang peeled off his shirt. The skin around his port was red and angry looking. It looked like some oil had started to ooze out as well. He gingerly touched it but Ed sucked in a breath. It was hot to the touch. His leg was the same. Above his knee was swollen and the oily ooze down there was dripping onto his automail. Mustang hurried back to the phone and described what was happening.

“Okay. Yep, okay, that’s not good.” Winry’s voice was tight.   
“You are going to need to remove both of them. I’m assuming Ed showed you how? God I hope he did.” Winry sounded like she was about to panic.  
“Yes I do know.” Mustang responded firmly.  
“Oh thank god. Okay go ahead and remove both of them, it may be even more painful now. Some pain meds might be good. I’m heading on the next train. Don’t take him to a regular doctor, most don’t know anything about automail patients. If you could stay with him, I’ll be there tomorrow morning.” Winry was gushing out the words.  
“Miss Rockbell, what is wrong with him?” Mustang was frightened now.   
“It sounds like his automail is infected. It can happen rapidly depending on the person. Ed’s always had a weaker constitution due to how young he was when he got the surgery for it. Just disconnect them, then make sure he is drinking and hopefully eating some. Like I said I’m taking the next train out.” With that Winry had hung up. 

Mustang was no stranger to disconnecting Edward’s automail. The man had a knack for getting it destroyed, or getting in situations altogether. Mustang remembered the first time he had removed it back in his office. Edward had been ragged. Running from one lead to the next. Winry had spoken to Mustang in private and told him to confront Ed about it, his commanding officer needed to know. 

Roy remembered the sewer incident all too well. When Edward had run ahead and fallen into the rushing water. How he lay lifeless on the side of the sewer, arm disconnected and eyes blank. 

He looked towards him now resting on the couch. His lips parted, panting as he slept. A sheen of sweat covered his face. If automail infection was the case… this would be very unpleasant. Ed was no stranger to pain. Mustang had seen the scars. The scars where his arm and leg used to be. The scar on his lower abdomen that looked like he’d been impaled. Mustang had never asked him about that one, and he was afraid to. He remembered it not being there before Ed left for Fort Briggs, and when he returned with Al in his body it was there. Something happened that begged the question of how he had not died then as well. A sigh escaped Roy. It was better now, now that Ed was older. Now that he had “officially” joined the military and didn’t need to traipse across the country from one danger to the next. Still he somehow ended up in dire situations. 

And now still he had to remove the automail. It saddened Roy to know that Ed would never be whole like he wanted again. Once Ed had gotten Al’s body back he was satisfied. Edward always insisted he was fine with it now. Al had been disheartened for a while but also came to accept it. To Roy Ed has always been Ed, half metal and with a will stronger than anyone he’d ever met.   
Now time to help Ed out once again. Mustang got some antiseptic and bandages ready. Once the arm and leg were off he’d need to bandage it up to help the infection. Mustang looked at the infection around the ports and grimaced. This would not be pleasant for either of them. 

Ed was fighting consciousness. He heard someone talking. On the phone maybe? His head was splitting and he didn’t bother trying to open his eyes. His body felt like ice, except around the automail. Around the ports felt like fire, burning and raging. Like needles being poked into veins and nerves. It hurt like hell to say the least. Ed tried to just breathe, but even that hurt. It pulled on the skin around his shoulder and ached. He dozed in and out of consciousness. 

*Pop* Ed’s eyes flew open. He was screaming. He was sure his lungs would give out. He was not expecting this. What was happening? He sat straight up. He searched wildly until his vision cleared. Roy was leaning over him looking terrified. 

“Edward, what’s wrong?!” 

Ed looked over, the flap that covered the disconnect lever was opened. But the arm had yet to be detached. Pain was flaring up from the arm. The arm that wouldn’t move and felt like it was burning him. 

“Get it off! Get it off!” Something was wrong. Ed knew that. He knew that arm needed to come off now. The pain wouldn’t stop till it did. 

“Ed, are you sure?” Mustang was alarmed. Normally the alchemist detested removing the automail. Now he was begging him for him to remove it. 

“Take it off dammit! Take it off!” 

Ed had a wild look in his eyes. Mustang had seen that look before. It was like when someone caught fire. How they looked like a feral animal, gnashing their teeth from the pain. If that’s what it felt like, Mustang wasn’t wasting another moment. He grabbed hold of the lever and released it. Edward began to convulse. His eyes rolled back into his head and now Mustang was at a complete loss. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Winry never said anything about this. Maybe this was worse then she knew? Once the arm was completely disconnected Ed’s body slumped. His breathing was shallow but there. His flesh hand gripped his tank top with white knuckles. 

Mustang laid him back down and took a cold rag to his head. He began to wrap up the port. Oil and something that resembled puss was slowly oozing out of it. The smell was horrendous. The swollen skin almost pulsing. It reminded Mustang almost of gangrene. This was bad. He wasn’t sure if it just wasn’t his bad for long, or if Ed had been in denial. If he had seen the damage and shrugged it off to something menial. He was never very good at taking care of himself. 

Roy still needed to get Ed’s leg off as well. He wasn’t sure whether to wait for him to wake up, or just do it now. He didn’t want it to start upsetting Ed like his arm did. Mustang decided to take the plunge and just get the leg off now. He rolled up up the pant leg and looked for the release lever. A quick look up to see if Ed was still unconscious and he took a deep breath.   
Obviously this wasn’t going to go without a hitch. As soon as he flipped the lever Ed groaned and tried to sit up.   
“Give him back… take my arm… take my heart… give him back…”   
Mustang knew what happened that fateful day all those years ago. How the Truth had taken Al and left Edward all alone. How in desperation he sealed his soul to armor. His leg taken for the toll of knowledge, his arm for his brother's soul. Ed seemed to think he was back in that day. 

“Ed, you got Alphonse his body back. He’s happy and healthy.” Mustang was unsure if Ed knew who he was in that moment or if his words offered any comfort.   
“Colonel? I’m… I’m glad you’re here.” Ed looked at him and smiled.

“I’m glad I’m not… alone.” With that Ed closed his eyes. Mustang kept a hand on his chest to make sure he was still going. Who knew what was happening inside Edward. He’d struggled through his life more than anyone his age. Mustang wondered if he’d been alone when he’d gotten that scar on his stomach. If he’d cried out for help, or just bore it all. He wondered how many times he’d kept silent in pain. How many times he wished someone was there to help lift the burden. How much guilt and remorse he’d buried inside and left. Roy knew how that felt all too well. He knew he never would have made it in life without people beside him. That is what he’d do now for Ed. Now and forever.   
He’d have to wait through the night till Winry got here. He wouldn’t leave him alone.   
“I’ll be here. I’ll protect you, always.”


End file.
